Loupe



Jan. 1o, 1939, J. BENZINGE 2,43,431

LOUPE Filed March 3l, 1956 1N VENTOR. M Jao efZ/hy er Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT Giii'h 2 Claims.

The present invention relates to loupes or magniiiers such as are used by jewelers, watch makers and others in the performance of work upon small details, and has for an object the provision of a device of this kind that is easily attached to the temple of a pair of spectacles, and which is furthermore adaptable for instantaneous adjustment of the magnifying lens to properly align the optical axis of a spectacle lens or a bifocal insert thereof with the optical axis of the magnier.

Another object of the invention is to provide a loupe of this type so that it may be equipped with either a single power magnier lens or with a magnier lens of one power and an insert of higher power, thereby providing a device which may be used for casual magnification and high power magniiication, said device being furthermore adapted to perfect alignment for use with either single vision or with bifocal spectacle lenses.

Another object of the invention is to provide a loupe for use with spectacles having temples wherein the optical axis of the magnifier lens is constantly in a plane with the optical axis of the spectacle lens of either single vision or bifocal type, 'the magnifier lens being capable of raising and lowering relative to the spectacle lens with which it is associated.

Another object of the invention is to provide arrangement of this kind wherein the magnifier lens is revolubly mounted on a forwardly projecting arm portion, which arm portion is radially adjustable at the outer edge of the spectacle lens when in use, to secure proper elevation.

Another object is to provide a device of this kind that is foldable substantially natwise in a compact condition, permitting the device to be easily put away in the vest pocket or in a pouch.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device of this kind which embodies a minimum of relatively inexpensive parts in the construction thereof.

These and other objects are attained by the means described hereinand disclosed in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a diagrammatic side view showing the relation the eye of the user, a bifocal spectacle lens and a bifocal magniiier lens embodied in the invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmental plan view of a pair of spectacles having one form of the device of the invention attached thereto.

Fig. 3 is a side view oi the device of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a View taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmental perspective view showing a modied form of adjustable mounting of the magniiier lens on the device of the invention.

The watch makers or jeweler-s loupe or magnier of the present invention comprises a onepiece member of flat spring metal which serves as a means to clamp the device upon the temple o a pair of spectacles and also serves as a bearing and frictional adjustment for the lens carrying arm, an arm pivoted on said one-piece clamping member and a magnifier lens mounted in a suitable rim, and said rim navmg an outwardly extending stud revolubly mounted in and frictionaily retained on the free end of the arm. The structure embodies a relationship between the spectacle lens and the magnifier lens such that the horizontal diameters of these lenses may be retained in substantially parallel relation during substantially universal adjustment of the magnier lens relative to the spectacle lens.

Referring now to the drawing, and partcula ly to Fig. 2, lil represents a lens, either sA igle vision or bifocal of an ordinary pair of spectacles and il, the tempie thereof, connected thereto in known manner. The device of the invention consists of a iiat spring metal body of unitary construction comprising a suitable body portion l2 from which extend. resilient arms and s() The arm it is bent at l5 to provide a pivotally adjustable and frictionally retained .i1-aou for a forwardly projecting lens holding arm i which is desirably formed of metal which can be initially bent to a small degree to adapt the loupe to the spectacles with which it is to be used. That portion of the spring metal member beyond the bend l5 is developed into a substantially U-Shaped portion comprising legs abutting the outer face or leg l'i. A milled knurled thumb piece 23 is conveniently provided at one end of stud 2| to facilitate turning stud, while the other end of said stud is made fast to the arm It by threaded engagementJ therewith as at 2f), the threaded engagement ben ing supplemented if desired by spreading or riveting the end of the stud as at 25. From the ro foregoing, it will be readily apparent that when the end of the arm I6 is drawn tightly against the out rmost face of leg it, the resiliency the metal will provide a frictional holding means for retaining the arm in various positions. The 55 outermost end 26 of arm i6 has a stem 27 revolubly mounted in a transverse bore in said arm, the

` suitable manner.

stem 21 being frictionally retained against free movement by any suitable means such as a coil spring 28 abutting one face of arm It and a face of a thumb piece 29 at the end of the stem. Rim 30 has a magnier lens 3l mounted therein and said rim is lixedly connected to the stem in any As shown in Fig. 5, the stud is made an integral part of the rim 30. From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that the arm IB may be radially adjusted about the axis of its pivotal mounting on stud 2l through the greater portion of a complete circle. This permits the arm i to be folded back over the temple attachment means or to be thrown forwardly thereof in any desired angular relation thereto. The stem 27 is at all times in substantial parallelism with stud 2i and the magnifier lens and associated rim may be revolved on the axis of said latter stem by turning thumb piece 29.

The unitary temple attachment or clamping means is effected by providing in arm I3 a notch 32 and in arm |01 a notch 33, the edges 34 and 35 respectively of said notches being adapted to engage upon one side of the temple piece il of a pair of spectacles, while the remaining edges of said notches are developed into tongues 35 and 3l respectively for engaging on the opposite side of the temple Il. A terminal piece or linger engaging member is formed integrally with arm I3 by a simple bend 38 at the end of said arm.

When arms i3 and l are unrestrained, notches 32 and 33 diverge sufficiently to throw the notches out of alignment. In attaching the loupe of the invention to the temple of a pair of spectacles, the linger piece 38 and the forward portion of the spring member are pressed together with the thumb and finger until notches 32 and 33 are aligned, whereupon the temple Il of the spectacles is seated in said notches and the spring arms are released. Thus, the temple is engaged in two places by three walls of each notch and the tendency of the spring arms to further diverge eiiects a secure clamping of the spring member upon the temple regardless of the cross-sectional shape or size of the temple.

As will be best seen in Fig. 2, the U-shaped portion, or that portion of the spring member extending beyond bend I5, will normally lie ahead of the temple Il `and about opposite the edge of the spectacle lens l. The user raises and lowers arm i6 by turning the thumb piece 23. When the proper portion of magnier lens 3l is brought to the desired position relative to the spectacle lens, the thumb piece 23 is used to tilt the magnifier lens to suitable angularity for attaining alignment of the optical axes of the spectacle and magnifier lens with the line of vision. It is to be noted that the stem 2'! is disposed above and substantially parallel to the normal horizontal diameter of the magnifier lens. In the larger portion, i. e. that portion shown below the line of the axis of stem 2? in Fig. 5, the lens 3l carries an insert 39 of greater magnifying power.

When the device of the invention is used by .a wearer of bifocal spectacles or glasses, the user may adjust the lens 3l so as to adjust the larger field of magnifier 3| with the main vision portion of the bifocal lens fi, or he may adjust the higher power segment 39 with the same portion of the spectacle lens, or in practice, he may use either portion of magnifier with the bifocal segment 4| of the spectacle lenses. The magnifier frame 3U may be turned completely upon its bearing in the arm, so as to place the higher power segment 39 at the top or bottom of the rim according to his position relative to the work.

When the magnifier or loupe isV intended to be temporarily placed out of use, the arm I6 may be raisedup vertically to bring the magnifier lens above and entirely out of the range of vision of the wearer. If the loupe is to be removed and carried about by the user, the arm I6 is folded entirely back upon the temple clamping member, and the magnifier lens is rotated until it is in a atwise position with these parts. in this compactly folded form, the device occupies little more space than one ordinary spectacle lens.

A more economical form of mounting of the magnifier lens is shown in Fig. 6 wherein an arm 42 corresponding substantially to arm I6 is transversely perforated at 43 and slit as at @d from the end of the arm into the perforation. A screw 45 passes through a vertical bore in the arm above slot 44 into a threaded bore in the arm below slot 44, the stem 46 which carries the magnifier lens holding rim 41 being merely passed through bore 3 and clamped sufficiently to `avoid accidental turning but to permit rotation of the stem when it is desired to adjust or to fold up the device.

The operation of the device has been described concurrently with the description of its structure. It is to be noted that the optical'axis of the magnifier lens 3i and its high power insert 39 may be initially centered with the optical axis of the spectacle lens lil of the single vision type or the spectacle lens comprising normal vision lens 33 and bifocal insert 4l by imparting an initial bend or adjustment, if necessary, to arm i5. The stud 2l and stem 27 at opposite ends of the arm I6 will be parallel with each other and both will remain in parallelism with the horizontal diameters ofv the spectacle and magnifier lenses andtheir inserts, if any. The radial adjustment of arm l5 eiiects bodily raising and lowering of the magnifier lens on an arc which closely approaches the average curvature of spectacle lenses and the tilting or revoluble adjustment of the magnifier lens on its stem permits the perfect alignment of the optical axis or optical axes in themagnier lens Ywith the .optical axes of the spectacle lens in the proper and correct range of line of vision of the user. The length of the arm I6 is such as to permit raising the magnifier lens upwardly against the forehead and entirely out of the range of vision or downwardly against the cheek at a place that is well beyond the Anormal line of vision and, when the device is removed from the spectacle temple, the arm I5 may be rocked backwardiy against the simple one-piece self-attaching spring clamp in which position the magnifier lens mayY be tilted flatwise and approximately in the plane of the body i2. Th-e foldable or collapsible feature of the device enables the user to avoid accidental bending of arm i6 and, in many ways, to avoid damage or breakage t-o the device.

The device is 'equally effective with spectacles having the temples secured near the top of the lenses and with those secured substantially midway between the top and bottom of the lenses, a condition which cannot be met in a single device amongst those heretofore known and used.

If the radial adjustment of the magnifier is across the field of the spectacle lens measured from the templathe different locations of temj ples on the lenses will require different sizes of parts. In the present invention, the optical axis of the magnier is adjusted vertically instead of arcuately yof the vertical center line of the spectacle lens. A bifocal spectacle lens may have perfect adjustment with either the reading insert or the major vision eld when the loupe structure of the present invention is used.

What is claimed is:

1. A loupe for use with spectacles having temples and lenses comprising a notched spring clamp for removable attachment to a temple, a resilient U-shaped bend on said clamp, a pivot member parallel to the plane of the spectacle lens and extending horizontally through both l sides of the U-shaped bend, an arm fixed on the pivot member and frictionally engaging one side of the U-shaped bend, said arm extending forwardly from said pivot member whereby the arm is self holding in all radial positions of adjustment in a vertical plane at right angles to the face of the spectacle lens and a magnifier supported by the free end of the arm and adjustable about an axis which is a horizontal chord of the magnier and which axis is parallel to said pivot member whereby theoptical axes of the magnifier and spectacle lens are disposed in a common plane in all adjusted positions of adjustment of the arm and of the magnifier.

2. A foldable vest pocket loupe comprising an elongated temple clamp body for attachment to the temple of a pair of spectacles having lenses, an arm frictionally pivoted to said body and arranged to be extended forwardly of the clamp body at any selected angle when in operative position on a pair of spectacles, said arm being foldable to a retracted position wherein the length of the arm and the length of the clamp body are substantially coincident and a magnier pivoted on and extending transversely of the free end of the arm, the body of the magnier being adjustable to lie flatwise in substantially a common plane with the arm.

JACOB BENZINGER. 

